Avon Products Incorporated

Peet’s Coffee & Tea Inc., the Bay Area-based cafe chain, is going private for $977.6 million – but it’s not being sold to Starbucks, its giant Seattle rival.

Instead, German conglomerate Joh. A. Benckiser will shell out $73.50 a share to buy the Emeryville company, paying a 29% premium on Friday’s $57.16 closing price. Peet’s had just under 200 stores as of this spring.

Last spring, Peet’s and Starbucks were rumored to be in talks to combine in an effort to boost both brands’ presence in grocery stores. Peet's founder Alfred Peet knew the Starbucks founders and sold them coffee beans when they launched their business a few years...

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Peet’s Coffee & Tea Inc., the Bay Area-based cafe chain, is going private for $977.6 million – but it’s not being sold to Starbucks, its giant Seattle rival.Instead, German conglomerate Joh. A. Benckiser will shell out $73.50 a share to buy the...